Climbing Sections:

About Mangaotaki:

There is nowhere in the North Island that matches Mangaotaki for multi pitch trad climbing.
The main cliff is situated on private property and permission must be given to climb. The crag is closed during lambing from 1st Aug -31st Oct. Contact details and concise directions can be found in downloadable guides on www.freeclimb.co.nz.
The Main Cliff is about 800m long and ranges in height from 50m to 100m. Most of the rock is very steep, between 80 to 100 degrees with a number of large roofs and ledge systems. The
limestone in the valley is divided into several distinctive layers. The lowest level is a soft but sound whitish limestone which is capped by a band of very soft sandstone. The sandstone is only 1m to 2m thick on the main cliff. The majority of the 50m routes start above this sandstone belt. A number of the approaches are very steep scrambles up to the base of the cliff. It is also hard to get a fix on where you are in the bush. There are a number of routes that are approached from the top on abseil. Twin ropes are recommended and a big rack is also required for most of the routes

Nearest town or city:

Te Kuiti

Directions:

On SH3, 20 km south of Te Kuiti, is Pio Pio. Turn down Kaka St
and then left onto Mangaotaki Road. After 8 km you reach the Mangaotaki reserve at the base of the valley.The “Back on the Road ” crag is 2 km down the road on your right.
The main climbing area is a further 4 km down the road on the left hand side of the valley.